ON WRITING A ROMANTIC FICTION STRADDLING MUMBAI AND KASHMIR

Author Interview: Shalu Thakur

Shalu Thakur is an MBA graduate having 8 years of corporate experience with Tata and Panasonic groups. She has ventured into the world of writing with her novel “The Journey of Unexplored Love”. An epitome of perseverance and persistency; she loves reading, travelling, nature, and spending time with her daughter Inayat, to whom she dedicates much of her work. Readers can also read her poetry and writings on her Instagram handle (@perfectly_flawed4). In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she talks about her debut book, her writing journey, her favourite books and authors, and much more. Read on!



Please tell us more about Shalu Thakur as a person.

Shalu Thakur as a person is introvert, loves exploring different cultures, wants to travel the whole world, loves dancing and truly believes that kindness should be the part of everyone’s lifestyle to make this world a better place to live.



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

Not particularly writing but stories. Stories have always been the part of my life since childhood. I used to envisage and mull upon stories. I have always been an aspirant, wanting to do something. In 2017, I took a break from my corporate career to embrace motherhood and in 2020, during lockdown I started writing one of the stories. And now I will pursue writing as my career as I have got a medium to tell all my stories, that is, through writing.



If you had to describe your book “The Journey of Unexplored Love” in one sentence, what would it be?

It is best described as ‘a love story suitably depicting conflicts of modern times as it advocates self-love and shows love in its true form i.e. true love conforms you to be you’.



Now tell us a little bit more about the book!

“The Journey of Unexplored Love” is not only a love story but much more beyond that. It gives the simple and significant message of being happy. This we all know is quite a modest yet tough practice to follow. Particularly, the narrative tells the story of a girl named Piya who goes on a professional Kashmir trip which turns into a life altering roller coaster ride for her. Her travels in Kashmir become a dive into an ocean full of excitement, happiness and gush of emotions for her and her trainee, Asher, and this changes her life forever.



How did the idea of writing this book originate? When did you start writing this book and how long did it take you to finish it?

I visited Kashmir twice in 2015. The local people there were very warm and fairly different, and the situation in Kashmir was much different from the portrayals that we see in much of the news media. There are good and bad people everywhere. The ratio of the two varies from one place to another. So, I started knitting a love story taking Kashmir as a backdrop. I thought to write to some of the production houses about my much contemplated yet nascent story, but didn’t get any reverts. Then during lockdown, I started writing the book, and within a month I completed it.



Tell us more about the protagonist Piya. How did the character come to you and how much did she change in the process of writing the novel?

Piya is bold and fearless. She accepts her flaws. The character has the shades of the females whom I have known and worked with in corporates, including me. They are sometimes sorted and sometimes messed up. Piya’s character is just like that. This is not the perfect character I know and I never even wanted to showcase that. It has flaws as nowadays people have, flawed yet perfect in their own way. She did not change in the process of writing.



Your book’s protagonist is the creative head of a travel channel in Mumbai, who goes to Kashmir on a professional trip. Your portrayal of Kashmir in the book feels very real. What research did this part of the narrative entail? Did this include travels to Kashmir?

I have done a lot of research. I visited Kashmir twice in 2015. As I love to travel, so I keep on observing every little thing of the places that I visit. I keep on asking various questions from the localites to always have firsthand information.
When I visited Kashmir, there I talked to everyone (shopkeepers, drivers, hotel staff, house boat owners, army personnel) regarding their take on the Kashmir issue. I even asked some of them to quote some of their personal experiences.
I have watched almost every movie, serial, web series, documentaries, and read books which are based in Kashmir like Shikara, Lamha, Notebook, Tahaan, Yahan, Haider, One Curfewed Night, Fitoor, Haq Se, Hamid, Mission Kashmir and so many more. Along with that, I have done a lot of research on the internet also.



What challenges did you face while writing this book?

The biggest challenge was to divert my daughter’s attention, which I am telling you with a big smile as she is the dearest to me but being a mother, it is quite challenging to start something new with a baby. I was trying to take out time to write but she did not allow me. Then particularly one night after she went to bed I started writing at 2:00 a.m. That’s how I embarked upon my journey of writing. The other challenge which I faced was this, even though I am a writer, but it is quite difficult sometimes to give words to your emotions.



Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

These are “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma, “Who Will Cry When You Die?” by Robin Sharma, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne, Bhagwad Gita/ Quran or any other religious book, and “The Journey of Unexplored Love” by Shalu Thakur.



There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?

Read a lot. Always be focussed and determined. Your content should be extremely good and you should be sure about your work. Before getting your work published, explore a number of options and select the best suited one. Do not get tired in the process. You will get what you want but you need to persevere towards it.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

I always believe in being happy. Dancing and Travelling make me really happy and cheerful.



What are you working on next?

My next is going to be a fictional book again, with a female character as the protagonist. And after that, when Coronavirus pandemic ends, I will be working on my first non-fiction book, which requires a lot of travel.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

There are many. But I will be sharing with the readers the top three- ‘Be a hard nut to crack as life is not easy.’, ‘Always have unconditional faith in God.’, and ‘Keep going.’